Discount Calculator | Find Sale Prices and Savings

In retail, when a store offers "30% off plus an additional 15% off," the discounts are applied sequentially, not added together. First, the 30% is subtracted from the original price. Then, the 15% is calculated based on that already-discounted price, not the original price. This sequential calculation always results in a lower final price than simply combining the percentages (which would be 45% in this example).

To find the original price when you know the sale price and discount percentage, divide the sale price by (1 - discount percentage/100). For example, if an item costs $42 after a 30% discount, the original price would be $42 ÷ (1 - 30/100) = $42 ÷ 0.7 = $60. This calculation works because the sale price is 70% of the original price when a 30% discount is applied.

No, they're not the same. In a "Buy One Get One 50% Off" (BOGO 50%) deal, you pay full price for one item and half price for the second item. This equals a 25% discount only if both items have exactly the same price. If the items have different prices, stores typically apply the discount to the less expensive item, resulting in less than a 25% total discount. Always calculate the specific savings for your particular combination of items.